The Sidekick Rewrite
by Foxboy614
Summary: *Requested by Skye Prower 2016* *I OWN NOTHING!* A bit of a rewrite of the episode, The Sidekick. After Tails was fired by Sonic, Tails runs into Shadow, who agrees to take him on as his sidekick. How will Sonic take this?


**I own nothing. I am just a fan doing this for fun and amusement. Also, _Skye Prower 2016_ requested this. He wanted to see a bit of a rewrite to the episode, The Sidekick. Shadow will be added as well, and he'll be a bit OOC. So, just a fair warning.**

Sonic was at his house with Tails, who was asleep on the couch with a bandage on his head. After a run-in with one of Eggman's robots, Burn-Bot, Tails' plane crashed, and he was injured. Sonic was scared for his brother's life and immediately rushed to his brother's side. Thankfully, Tails was alive, and Sonic was relieved. And since that moment, Sonic vowed to protect him by any means.

Soon, Tails woke up, rubbing his head and groaning. Sonic smiled warmly and pulled Tails into a hug. "Tails… I'm so glad you're ok." he said.  
"Of course I'm fine, Sonic." Tails replied.  
"That's good to hear buddy." Sonic said. "And once you're fully healed up, you'll have plenty of free time on your hands. You'll be able to do things like completing any unfinished projects, golfing, or spending time with your grandkids." Tails got an odd look on his face at that last point.  
"But I don't have any grandkids." he pointed out.  
"But, you'll have time to get some now… in due time, that is." Sonic said. "Still, you'll have plenty of time to do the things you want to do." he added before going outside.

As happy as Tails was that Sonic took care of him and cared about him, something was not sitting right with him. And the list of things he could do now that he would have more time seemed rather suspect to him. That sounds like something a retired person would do. "Wait… what just happened?" he asked out loud. And Sonic, who had not gone too far, came back to clarify.  
"I fired you." he said quickly before leaving.  
"Oh, ok." Tails said calmly. And he sat on the couch for a few more minutes… until what Sonic said sank in deep. "...Wait… WHAT?!" he yelled, not happy at what Sonic said.

 *** Time-skip ***

Later that day, Tails was walking through the jungle, trying to clear his head of what just happened. Sonic fired him? After all they have been through, and he just goes and fires him? Tails could not believe it. He found himself unable to wrap his head around that fact, given he and Sonic's history together. But why? Why would Sonic do that to him? Was it the attack itself? What would make Sonic act like this?

"It's just not right… why is Sonic firing me?" Tails asked himself, desperate for an answer. "We've been together through thick and thin for a long time… why would he just up and fire me? What did I do wrong?"

"I don't think it was anything YOU did. I think it was what Eggman's robot did." a dark voice said.

Tails stopped dead in his tracks and looked around. Who was that? But something seemed… familiar about the voice. Was that who he thought it was? "Up here." the voice said from behind him. Tails turned around and looked up. And sitting up on a rock with his usual scowl was none other than Shadow the Hedgehog. Tails stepped back a few feet.

"Shadow? What… What are you doing here?" Tails asked.  
"I was just enjoying a stroll and I decided to take a little rest." Shadow replied. "However, I overheard your little predicament with Sonic. So he fired you, huh?" Tails growled in anger and hurt.  
"Yes. And it's so stupid." he ranted. "We've been through MULTIPLE scrapes before, and he never tried to fire me then. So why now?! Why did he fire me after ONE fault on my part? How was I supposed to know that the ejector lever wasn't working right? I made sure to check everything before battle! Heck, I'm STILL trying to figure out how it broke!" He finished his rant, panting from doing it all in one breath. Shadow's face remained the same, save for a raised eyebrow.  
"Do you, uh… want to talk about it?" Shadow asked.  
"...I don't know." Tails admitted.  
"Well… what happened?" Shadow asked. "What did the robot do?"  
"It's sharp claws cut my wing and I lost control. I tried to bail out, but like I said, the lever broke off. So I crashed and hurt my head bad." Tails explained. "...Do you think THAT'S why he fired me?"  
"Well… I'm no expert on this kind of topic, but it sounds like he didn't fire you for what you did. I think he fired you because of what happened to you, and he wants to see that it doesn't happen again." Shadow said. "...Of course, just a theory." he added before jumping down.

Tails was a bit skeptical at first, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. He and Sonic were practically brothers, and Sonic was very protective of him. So when he crashed and got hurt, Sonic was afraid of something like that happening again and the result be worse than the last time. Maybe Sonic only fired him to PROTECT him.

"...You know… that does make more sense, now that I think about it." Tails said. "Still… Sonic needs me, just as I need him." he added. Shadow nodded his head.  
"I understand…" Shadow said. "Hopefully, he'll come to his senses soon."  
"I hope so..." Tails said sadly. But then, a plan popped into his head – one that he hoped would get Sonic jealous enough to hire him back on the team. But would Shadow be willing to help him? "Say, Shadow…?"  
"Hmm?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Would you be willing to take me on as your sidekick?" Tails asked shyly and nervously. Shadow raised an eyebrow.  
"Let me guess… you want to make Sonic jealous enough to hire you back on?" Shadow questioned. Tails felt his ears droop down. But it also surprised him. How did Shadow know that was his intention?  
"...Yes sir..." he admitted. But as he embraced for a sound rejection, he soon found it was not coming. He heard Shadow chuckle and felt him rub his head.  
"Sure thing, Tails." Shadow said. "I'll help you out. After all, I figure I owe you for your services in defeating Lyric and saving the world. Plus, you and Sonic make a good team, as I learned the hard way." he added. Tails felt his twin tails wag happily and he ran to hug Shadow tightly. Shadow was taken back by this, not expecting Tails to hug him. But Shadow smiled softly and hugged back.  
"Thank you." Tails said.  
"You're welcome." Shadow said.

Some time later, Sonic had explained to the others why he had fired Tails while they were watching TV. And needless to say, they were not too happy with him. "Why would you do that to him?!" Amy yelled.  
"Seriously! Why would you kick him off the team?!" Sticks added to that.  
"Not cool, Sonic." Knuckles chimed in. Sonic's ears drooped down.  
"I know, I know… but I only did it to keep him safe." Sonic said. "That crash he went through scared me. I thought I lost my little bro."  
"But what if something like that happened to ME?" Amy asked, getting up in his face. "Would you kick ME off? Or what about Knuckles? Or Sticks?"  
"Well, you're tough, same for Sticks, and Knuckles is near-invincible." Sonic told her. Knuckles and Sticks had to admit he had a point. "Plus, Tails is special to me. He's practically my little brother. And if I let something like that happen to him again, I'd never forgive myself for allowing it." he added. Amy's expression softened a bit.  
"Look, I know it's hard, but Tails is a big boy too." she told him. "Still, it is sweet that you care about your little brother and want to protect him. Nevertheless, you need to be honest with him. Maybe he'll understand."  
"Maybe..." Sonic said.

Suddenly, the show they were watching cut out, and a "Breaking News" image popped up. "I'm Soar the Eagle, reporting live from the village square! Sonic's robotic doppelganger, Metal Sonic, arrived here a short while ago, ready to cause a ruckus. However, thanks to the brave efforts of both Tails and a mysterious black hedgehog, Metal Sonic was defeated and ran off. It seems Sonic made a bad choice to fire the young fox, and he found a new hero to follow."  
"I wouldn't necessarily call myself a hero." Shadow was heard saying from behind Soar.  
"Regardless, you and Tails were spectacular out there." Soar said. "That's all for now. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program."

Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Sticks were dead silent. Tails had moved on already?! Needless to say, Sonic was not too happy. So he stood up and ran to the village to confront Tails and Shadow.

Sonic soon found them at Meh Burger, enjoying a chili dog together. Sonic grit his teeth while growling. "Excuse me?! What's going on here?!" Sonic asked in anger, getting their attention.  
"We're eating lunch to celebrate our victory over Metal Sonic." Tails said matter-of-factly.  
"You know, hero-sidekick things." Shadow added with a smart aleck tone. "If only you hadn't fired Tails, then you could do this with him."  
"Shadow, you don't have a clue why I did it. You've never had a friend, so you don't have any idea why I fired him." Sonic retorted.  
"Actually, I DO know why you fired him." Shadow fired back. "You were scared for his safety after his crash landing."  
"And if you were me, I bet you'd do the same thing!" Sonic said.  
"No, I wouldn't." Shadow said, stepping up and getting in Sonic's face. "I'd keep him on, as I would need him, just as he needs me. Tails is a lot tougher than you think he is. Without him, you and the others won't stand much of a chance against Eggman… or me, for that matter."  
"Shadow, me and Tails beat you together, and there were only two of us at the time. What makes you think you could stand up to four?" Sonic asked him, crossing his arms.  
"Who said they would help you?" Shadow asked with a smirk. "You fired Tails, after all. What if the others turn on you and abandon you, thinking you'd just fire them too?" he added. Sonic was beginning to see red.  
"Listen here, unless you've walked a mile in my shoes, you shut your mouth about Tails. Since you've never had a friend in your life, or a little brother, you don't know a DANG THING about what it was like for me to see my little brother, unconscious in the plane after the crash. I thought I lost my brother. I only did that to protect him. Maybe if you HAD one, you'd understand." Sonic said.

Shadow and Tails' expression softened up a little. And when Shadow saw a stray tear in Sonic's eyes, he knew it was serious. That crash must have really scared him. "...You're right… I don't have a little brother like you do… and I don't know what it's like to almost lose a friend. But for the latter, it's because I know what it's like when you DO lose a friend. And for the former, I don't need to have a little brother to see that thinking you've lost him is hard." Shadow said. Sonic was surprised to hear him talk like this.  
"Wait… you lost a friend?" he asked.  
"Yes… but the less I tell you, the better." Shadow told him. Sonic was guessing it was sensitive territory and dropped the topic. "But still, I know you were scared… I would be too if Tails was my little brother. But you need to trust him. You need to let him grow along with you. He has a lot of potential to be a great hero. You just need to be willing to guide him, to train him, to believe in him." Shadow explained. Sonic's ears drooped down. He knew Shadow was telling the truth.  
"I know… but he's still so young…" Sonic said.  
"I know that. But that's why he needs you." Shadow said. "In his early stage, you can build him up so that, when he gets older, he can defend himself like never before."

Sonic now felt ashamed of himself for what he did. He never wanted to fire Tails in the first place, but he only did so to protect him. But he did not realize just what exactly he could have done to Tails. Shadow did make a convincing argument in Tails' favor. And what if his other friends DID abandon him for his treatment of Tails? Without them, his battles against Eggman would be next to impossible. So, realizing he needs Tails and sucking up his pride, Sonic turns to Tails. "Tails… I'm sorry for firing you. I only did it to protect you."  
"It's alright, Sonic." Tails said.  
"Now… if you want… I'd like to rehire you as my sidekick." Sonic said. Tails smiled.  
"Well, I guess I could-"

But what Tails was about to say was killed dead on his tongue when Eggman invaded the village with Burn-Bot once more. "GYAHHAHAHHA!" Eggman laughed evilly. "Surprised to see me again?!"  
"Eggman!" Sonic, Shadow, and Tails shouted in unison before getting into a fighting stance.  
"That's right, fools! And Burn-Bot it back, better than ever!" Eggman said proudly. "And this time..." he added before snapping his fingers. Burn-Bot stuck a hand out and shot out a stream of fire from the center. "NOW he can shoot fire! By the way, thanks for the tip." he added, a smug tone in his voice when making the last point. "Now, Burn-Bot! ATTAAACK!" Eggman shouted, pointing to the two hedgehogs and the twin-tailed fox. Burn-Bot nodded and whirred in affirmation.

Everyone at Meh Burger cleared out, leaving the three alone to fight Burn-Bot. Burn-Bot first launched on of his claws at them, but they all dodged it. Tails pulled out a wrench and flew in close for an attack, and managed to land a few good hits on the robot's face before being swatted away. Sonic and Shadow were not too happy about that and went in for a Homing Attack, hitting it from both sides of its head. That made Burn-Bot stagger and his eyes glow brighter. It began firing multiple fireballs at the heroes. But they dodged all of them. Burn-Bot readied its claws again, launching them at the heroes relentlessly. The claws managed to graze Shadow's arm, and one even caught Tails.

"ACK! OH NO! SONIC! SHADOW! HELP ME!" Tails yelled in distress. Sonic and Shadow gasped when they saw Tails in the clutches of the Burn-Bot. It readied its other claw, preparing to incinerate Tails to a crisp.  
"TAILS!" Shadow yelled.  
"HANG ON BUDDY! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE YOU AGAIN!" Sonic yelled, curling into a ball and dashing full speed at Burn-Bot, hitting him just as he was shooting the stream of fire. The attack knocked Tails out of Burn-Bot's grasp, narrowly dodging the fire, and into Sonic's arms. Sonic set Tails down and went back for Burn-Bot. Shadow skated towards the robot, narrowly avoiding fireballs and fire streams, getting up close and flip-kicking it up into the air. While it was still in the air, Shadow launched multiple Chaos Spears at it, dealing heavy damage. Burn-Bot crashed down onto the ground, suffering more damage.

"You know, as fun as this is… I say we should finish this robot off." Tails suggested.  
"I agree." Sonic said.  
"Then let's do it." Shadow said, his body glowing red. Sonic and Tails nodded in agreement.  
"You got it! First, Sonic, get behind Burn-Bot. I'll distract him from the air. When I tell you to, Spin Dash Burn-Bot into Shadow. Shadow, use Chaos Blast to launch him up into the air, and I'll finish him off." Tails said. Sonic and Shadow grinned.  
"Sounds like a plan." they said in unison. Tails then took to the sky, drawing Burn-Bot's attention. Burn-Bot shot a volley of fireballs at the twin-tailed fox, but none of them hit him.  
"Ooh! Missed me!" Tails taunted. He dodged another one. "Missed again!"  
"Grr! Stay still, you furry little fool!" Eggman shouted in rage.

While Burn-Bot was still focusing on Tails, Sonic had got behind it and was ready to attack. Sonic grinned devilishly and curled up into a ball. He revved up, building up speed, until he could not hold it in much longer and zoomed towards Burn-Bot. Sonic hit it with such force that Burn-Bot was launched towards Shadow. Shadow grinned devilishly as well and got ready for the right moment to strike. Once he built up enough power, he finally let it all out.  
"CHAOS BLAST!" he yelled, emitting intense Chaos energy from his body, covering a wide radius and launching Burn-Bot into the sky. Tails had got an arm cannon ready and was charging it up for Burn-Bot. Once it was right in front of Tails, he fired the cannon, shooting out a powerful beam of energy that practically shredded Burn-Bot to pieces before blowing it up.

"WOO! Victory is ours!" Sonic said triumphantly. Eggman growled in utter anger.  
"I'll get you next time!" he shouted before flying off.  
"And we'll be waiting!" Tails shouted at him.

Sonic and Shadow pat Tails on his shoulders. "Nice work, little man." Sonic said.  
"You had us worried there for a bit, but you did excellent out there." Shadow said. "You have my respect." he added. Tails smiled.  
"Thanks guys." he said. "I can't believe it… two victories, back to back."  
"I know. It's crazy… Crazy cool." Sonic said. Tails, and even Shadow, chuckled. "Now then… what say we talk about your reemployment over a few chili dogs, on me?" Sonic suggested.  
"I think that sounds like a good idea. Especially since we didn't get to finish ours." Tails said. "Shadow? Would you like to join us?" he asked. Shadow thought it over for a second and smiled.  
"I suppose I could." Shadow said.

So Sonic, Tails, and Shadow got some new chili dogs and sat down at a table together. Sonic discussed allowing Tails to rejoin the team and even work with Shadow on occasion. Tails was all too happy to accept the offer and to begin work immediately. Shadow was happy to see Sonic and Tails make up and reconcile. Once everything was in order, Sonic and Tails shook on it before Tails turned to Shadow and shook his hand.

Finally, all was set right.

 ** _The End_**

 ***I hope I did well. Be sure to comment if you want, and check out my other stories if you're interested.**  
 **And with that said, I bid you farewell for now. God bless, and stay safe!**


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